GIRLS BASKETBALL: Hoover leads Greencastle-Antrim past Shippensburg

GREENCASTLE — Every so often, various circumstances force teams to grow up quickly.

Returning just two players with any varsity experience from a year ago, the Greencastle-Antrim girls basketball team entered the 2012-13 season knowing it would need to weather the inevitable learning curve early if they hoped to remain in contention late.

If Friday night's impressive 59-44 victory over Shippensburg was any indication, the Blue Devils are clearly ahead of schedule.

Paced by a career-high 27 points from standout Chloe Hoover, G-A continued its progression in commanding fashion, overwhelming the visiting Greyhounds throughout all four quarters, at one point leading by as many as 25 in the second half.

"Tonight was a big step in the right direction," G-A head coach Mike Rhine said. "I really can't say enough about these girls. Everyone has a role on this team and when everyone does their role like they did tonight, this is the result."

While Hoover's sensational performance stole the show, which also included a game-high 15 rebounds, the Blue Devils received significant contributions across the floor, beginning with all five starters scoring in the opening quarter.

As a result, G-A (3-3, 2-2 MPC-Colonial) wasted little time setting the tone, establishing a 18-6 lead at the end of the first before a Jane Herman 3-pointer extended the advantage to 23-8 early in the second.

Needing a spark, Shippensburg (2-5, 2-3 MPC-Colonial) found some success by implementing a full-court press, temporarily stalling the Blue Devils' attack while cutting the lead to 28-18 at the half.

Unfortunately for the Greyhounds, G-A's double-digit margin abruptly grew into an insurmountable deficit in the third.

The Blue Devils opened the second half on a decisive 18-3 run, highlighted by 11 points from Hoover along with a Meghan Hirneisen jumper and a Hannah Crist lay-in off her own steal, granting G-A its largest lead of the game at 46-21 with two minutes remaining in the quarter.

Down by 20 entering the fourth, Shippensburg attempted a spirited rally, as buckets by Brooke Porter, Sarah Lyman and Alicia Johnson drew the Greyhounds within 13 at 53-40 with time winding down.

Still maintaining a comfortable cushion, Herman essentially delivered the dagger at the 1:50 mark of the fourth, draining her third 3 of the game to swing the momentum back in G-A's favor.

Fittingly, Hoover capped her memorable outing by burying her only make from beyond the arc at the buzzer, putting an exclamation point on an all-around, convincing victory for the Blue Devils.

"Chloe is just a fantastic basketball player," Rhine said of his junior captain. "She's our leader and when she gets on a roll, she's hard to stop. The girls look to her and she delivered for us again tonight."

Herman finished with 12 points, complementing Hoover's double-double, followed by eight points from Hirneisen and seven from Crist.

Page 2 of 2 - Johnson led the Greyhounds with eight points while Porter recorded seven in the loss.

Despite receiving a break from the classroom over the holidays, the Blue Devils will continue their ongoing progression on the court, returning to action on Thursday as a participant in the Lower Dauphin Christmas Tournament.